Pacific Eden Calls Adelaide Home in Record SA Season

Australia’s latest cruise ship P&O Cruises' Pacific Eden has arrived in Adelaide marking the start of South Australia’s biggest cruise season.

The stylish 55,820-tonne Pacific Eden will call South Australia home until April 8, offering P&O’s biggest season of cruising from the State - a series of six cruises that will carry an estimated 9000 guests from the city to destinations including burgeoning South Australian cruise ports Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island.

During the record cruise season, Pacific Eden will make 10 visits to South Australian ports on roundtrip cruises including four-night short breaks to Port Lincoln and south coast itineraries featuring Kangaroo Island. The autumn season is expected to inject close to $8 million into the State’s economy.

Signaling the growing popularity of South Australia as a cruise destination, Pacific Eden will return for another Adelaide season in March and April 2017.

In total, P&O Cruises’ ships are scheduled to make 17 calls to four South Australian ports this year, up from 11 last year.

P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said the addition of Pacific Eden and sister ship Pacific Aria to the cruise line’s fleet had enabled P&O to expand its homeport offering to eight different cities, including its longest Adelaide deployment.

“With the growth of our fleet we’ve been able to offer more cruises to great ports including Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln, and base one of our latest ships in Adelaide so that South Australians can enjoy a cruise break right from their doorstep,” Mr Myrmell said.

“From cage diving with great white sharks to swimming with sea lions and enjoying freshly shucked oysters from Coffin Bay, South Australia has so much to offer and we’re thrilled to be taking thousands of holidaymakers to the State’s beautiful coastal destinations.”

According to industry figures, South Australia is one of the fastest growing cruise states in Australia with almost 58,000 South Australians cruising in 2014, an increase of 23 per cent on the previous year.

Forging a new direction for the cruise industry, Pacific Eden and Pacific Aria take local cruising to the next level with a stunning design which reflects the contemporary style of modern Australia, while capturing the relaxed and sometimes cheeky spirit Australians are known for. Pacific Eden features 15 dining options including a plush private dining room and Luke Mangan’s Salt grill, luxe new bars, a resort-style pool deck and a child-free Oasis with private cabanas.